Heroes, There Is No Such Thing
by Ramore361
Summary: Iron Man 3. Tony and Rebecca try to deal with personal trauma during the aftermath of New York while the Mandarin threatens the lives of everyone Tony loves, and he will do whatever it takes to stop him. Sequel to We Will Avenge.
1. Chapter 1

**Alright guys, I'm actually going to start writing this story now. I know it's been a while since I've updated anything really, but I've been lacking inspiration and time. Anyway, it's going to be difficult to incorporate Rebecca into this one I think, but I'll do my best and I hope you guys like it, if not, I'm always willing to hear suggestions or comments if you hate it or love it. So, here it is, keep in mind I'm still developing ideas and this is really just the beginning.**

Rebecca tossed and turned in her bed, trying desperately to get comfortable and put her mind at rest, but it wasn't working. It had been so long since New York, but the memories wouldn't leave her alone. The reminders were always there and she couldn't escape them. The Chitauri chasing her around the buildings, the mind control Loki tried to have over her and the missile. Every time she closed her eyes she could see that wormhole in the sky and her dad flying through it as she chased behind, and her heart would beat faster and faster waiting for him to come back down, but in these dreams he never did.

''Dad!'' she gasped as she shot straight up in her bed, clinging onto her sheets.

''Mr. Stark is currently in the workshop.'' Jarvis informed her. ''Shall I inform him-''

''N-no,'' she shook her head, taking a deep breath. ''Don't tell him anything Jarvis.''

Rebecca pushed the blankets off her body and swung her legs off the bed, breathing deeply as she tried to recover from her nightmare. It was the same thing every night, but it never got any easier to deal with. Walking into her bathroom, Rebecca saw her face covered in tiny beads of sweat as she worked on steadying her breathing, running water into her hands and splashing it on her skin soothingly.

Soon after, Rebecca walked back to her bed and sat on the edge, pulling out a drawer in her bedside table to reveal a small bottle of scotch. She unscrewed the lid and took a mouthful, grimacing at the taste before she took another, desperately trying to consume the liquor. It was easier to sleep when she didn't have to try as hard to put her mind at rest, and after trying this remedy a few months ago, she had been relying on it ever since, in true Stark tradition.

Rebecca wasn't the only one having trouble coping with the aftermath of New York. Where she had trouble getting to sleep without nightmares, Tony had trouble getting to sleep at all. The nightmares were so bad he feared sleeping as much as he knew he needed to rest. Pepper had moved in with him and Rebecca at the mansion when they got back from their break away from this place, and although her support helped him, he still couldn't sleep and he knew he needed help, but his mind was focused on one thing and one thing only since New York, preparing himself.

Tony had never witnessed anything like what he saw in New York. The enemy was no longer confined to Earth and different countries, it was on other worlds, it was in the universe and it was able to come and attack them all just like they had in New York. Tony had been building suits non-stop, creating an army if he ever needed them. His technology was more advanced than ever, he could control all of the suits without even having to be in them and he was able to command the suit to assemble on him without a robotic dock. Everything he was doing was to make sure he was prepared. He worked every night down in the workshop when everyone else was asleep, and no one knew how bad it had gotten.

* * *

''Morning,'' Rebecca mumbled as she walked into the kitchen the next morning.

The house had been decorated for Christmas since Pepper wanted them all to have a normal holiday for once, and there was red and green colors everywhere along with a perfectly arranged Christmas tree in the corner.

''Good morning,'' Pepper smiled, sipping on her coffee. ''Do you need a ride to the office today?''

Rebecca had been working with the research and development area of Stark Industries for a while now, but ever since she turned eighteen a month ago, she had been allowed to much more within the company, just as Tony had when he was her age. She could start development on anything she liked, and that's why she loved the job, not to mention it took her mind off of everything and kept her busy.

''No it's okay, I'll drive myself, I'm having lunch with Ben.'' she shook her head, pouring herself a coffee into a large mug.

''So I can expect another speeding ticket then?'' Tony's voice came from behind her as he walked into the kitchen, opening the fridge to pull out a bottle of water.

''I don't speed.'' Rebecca shook her head.

''Right, so those last two tickets were for...''

''A misunderstanding.'' she defended.

''Uh huh.'' Tony chuckled.

Pepper rolled her eyes and sat her coffee cup in the dishwasher before turning to put her hands on Tony's chest when he turned toward her.

''I'll see you when I get home.'' she pressed a kiss to his lips, feeling his hands on her hips.

''And when will that be?''

''I don't know, I have a few meetings today but I shouldn't be too late.'' she told him before walking over to grab her bag, saying goodbye to Rebecca as well.

Pepper was the only one keeping the household sane with her routine. If Pepper didn't leave each day for work, Tony's days would mush together and he wouldn't know what time or day it was since he spent so much time in the workshop by himself, endlessly working on whatever he could. With Rebecca working as well, Tony had no reason to leave the workshop at all during the day except for when he was hungry, and that only encouraged things to get out of control.

* * *

''It can't be that soon.'' Rebecca shook her head. ''No way.''

''I'm telling you, Christmas is three weeks away.'' Ben chuckled. ''Have you been living under a rock?''

Rebecca picked up some of the pasta on the plate in front of her and twirled it around, thinking of how fast everything had gone by without her even noticing. Ben still had his job which was located in New York, but he was able to work at the company in Malibu instead, however every few weeks he would have to go back to New York to a meeting or something important, helping the city recover from what had happened. Rebecca worried every time he was there, panicking that something was going to happen, but he would always return home safely.

''It just doesn't seem like it, like Christmas.'' she shrugged. ''Everything's different now.''

Ben looked over to her with a sad smile, trying his best to offer his support although not knowing what to say to her. Things were different now, she was right, but he always did his best to convince her that it wasn't always going to be that way.

''How about we go out tonight?'' he asked, catching her off guard. ''We'll have a movie date, like the first time we went out.''

Rebecca smiled as she looked over to him, thinking about the idea of going out for the night. It had been so long since they had done something like that, and she thought it could be exactly what she needed right now.

''That depends,'' she smirked. ''Who gets to pick the movie?''

''How about one of us pick the restaurant for dinner, and the other picks to movie.'' he suggested.

''Deal.'' she nodded, sipping at her drink.

Rebecca was lucky to have Ben. After everything she had been through, he had been there for her completely no matter how bad it was or how difficult it was to understand. When everything was going on with Shield and New York, he supported her, and he had to watch her fight against the enemies, and he was still there by her side, because he loved her, even after everything.

* * *

Tony had been working in the workshop all day as usual, making more Iron Man suits and working on a new device that, when implanted into his arm, would summon the suit to assemble around him like he had been planning for the past few weeks. It wasn't quite ready yet, but with the amount of hours he spent working down in the shop, it wouldn't be long until it was ready for use.

''Sir, may I remind you it has been a considerable number of hours since you have eaten anything.'' Jarvis told him as he worked.

Tony finished screwing one of the metal hand pieces of a suit before looking over to the clock on his wall that was barely ever acknowledged. It was closing in on 5pm and he hadn't been upstairs or stopped work since Pepper and Rebecca left at 9am. He knew what he was doing was unhealthy. He wasn't sleeping, he didn't remember to eat, he never took a break and he was drinking concoctions he had mixed up to prevent him from being exhausted.

''Yeah thanks J,'' Tony nodded, returning to his work for a moment.

''It is advised you acquire at least 8 hours sleep sir to perform at a healthy level.''

''I'm aware. You know I didn't program you to tell me useless trivia.'' Tony muttered.

''No sir, but you did program me to inform you when you're health is-''

''Mute.'' Tony called out, rolling his eyes.

A few moments later, he sat back in his chair, running his hand through his hair as he let out a yawn. He was tired, he had been for days now. He hadn't had a full nights sleeps in months, always waking up to the nightmares and giving up on trying to get a solid eight hours. Pepper didn't know about his struggles, he didn't want her to worry, all he wanted was to make sure her and Rebecca would be safe, and he wouldn't stop working until he knew they would be.

* * *

Rebecca's hand rested comfortably in Ben's as they walked into the movie theater after dinner, finding their seat. Being Rebecca Stark, she received many stares from people as she walked in, but she was used to that by now, it was natural to her. Since Rebecca had chosen the restaurant, it was up to Ben to pick the movie, which was fine by her.

''Hey, quit hogging the popcorn!'' Ben laughed as he stole a handful.

''You have to save it for the movie.'' she defended with a giggle.

''Oh, which explains why you have a mouthful?''

Rebecca laughed and tried to swallow the popcorn in her mouth before she choked. She was already enjoying their date, missing the time they used to spend together like this. With them both having jobs, it was harder to find time for dates and nights out, but they were managing quite well.

When the movie finally started, there was barely any popcorn left and they discarded the box onto the seat next to them until the movie was over, and Rebecca leaned in closer to Ben, getting comfortable. She didn't know what the movie was about exactly, but she knew it was action. They first part was fine and she was seeming to enjoy it until there was a fight scene and gunshots and explosions began rumbling through the theater. Rebecca didn't know why, but her whole body was tensing up with every gunshot, her memories from New York flashing back to her. She worked on controlling her breathing, trying not to alarm Ben, but the explosions wouldn't stop, and all she could see was the buildings crumbling in front of her as the Chitauri chased her, taking her right back to the battle. The flashing of light on the screen along with the battle sounds was all too much for her, and as much as she hated having to do it, she got up and ran out of the theater, causing Ben to run after her.

''Bec?'' he ran out of the door, finding her over to the side.

Rebecca had her hands over her ears to get rid of the ringing explosions that were echoing through her head as she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block the sights that her mind kept repeating to her. Her body trembled as Ben put his arms around her, trying to calm her down.

''I'm sorry,'' she told him with an unsteady voice. ''I don't- I don't feel good.''

Ben nodded his head and pulled her close into a hug, running his hands over her back to soothe her. She had never told him explicitly about her nightmares, however he knew she was still having them, and he understood why she was upset right now. Rebecca was used to the nightmares, she knew how to handle them and calm herself down as bad as it was, but she had never been like this before. The noises were so loud and realistic that the memories just kept coming up, she couldn't help it.

''That's okay, I'll take you home, it's alright.'' Ben told her softly, kissing her forehead.

* * *

Pepper was in bed by the time Rebecca got home, walking in the door by herself after assuring Ben she was okay. Tony, however, was still wide awake and down in the workshop. He had taken a break long enough to have dinner with Pepper and stay upstairs with her until she went to bed, but then it was back to work. When he heard Rebecca come home though, he returned upstairs.

''Hey, how was your night?'' he asked with a smile, hoping she enjoyed herself.

''It was good.'' she nodded, throwing her bag over onto the couch.

Tony noticed her blank expression, wondering what was wrong. She smiled, but he was father, he saw right through it.

''You okay?'' he asked.

Rebecca didn't answer him directly, instead she walked over and hugged him tight, resting her head on his chest. After what she experienced tonight, she just wanted to be close to her dad, to know that he was okay, that he was here. Tony looked down at her with concern for a second before wrapping his around her and holding her tight, stroking her head with his hand.

''Yeah, I'm fine,'' she told him quietly. ''Just needed a hug from my dad.''

Tony smiled and pressed a kiss to her head, rubbing his arms on her back like he did when she was little.

''Anytime, kiddo.''

* * *

**Okay guys, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I haven't written in a while, so please forgive me. Anyway, I know this chapter was a little more focused on Rebecca and life now after New York, but this is really just an establishing chapter, setting up for future ones. I'll be most likely following everything in Iron Man 3 (y'know, except for throwing in scenes with Rebecca and altering a few things, but I'll try my best) so you guys will be able to follow more easily and can understand what's going on with Tony since there will be more focus on him in the coming chapters. Now, just to clear things up, Rebecca's problems aren't like Tony's as his are more severe although they are similar. I threw in the whole alcohol thing as a reference to the whole alcoholism that runs in the Stark family and to also add a subplot. Anyway, as I said, just a starter chapter, it'll get better. Please review and let me know what you guys think and any ideas you might wanna add or just anything in general. Thank you for reading! **


	2. Chapter 2

Rebecca walked into the kitchen one morning after yet another sleepless night and rubbed her tired eyes, yawning as she poured a coffee into a mug and positioned herself at the bench. Pepper was busy answering emails on her BlackBerry as Tony sat next to her eating his breakfast after Pepper had insisted. She had noticed how many hours he was spending in the workshop when she wasn't home and after asking Jarvis, she had discovered that he hadn't been eating all day.

''So, dinner tonight?'' Pepper looked over to Tony, setting her phone down.

''It's date night, isn't it?'' he smirked. ''I'll organize dinner.''

''Should I be worried?''

Tony and Pepper's date night revolved around the fact that Rebecca stayed at Ben's on this particular night since his mother worked overnight and Ben finished early, giving Tony and Pepper their own night together. It worked out well considering Rebecca always felt bad that she was in their way when they struggled to find time to even have dinner together.

''I never said I'd _cook_.'' Tony corrected.

''Hmm, dinner sounds really good then.'' Pepper smirked, pressing a light kiss to his lips as she got up, slinging her bag over her shoulder. ''I'll see you at the office, right Bec?''

Rebecca looked up from her coffee and nodded her head with a yawn.

''Yeah, I'll be there.''

''I have those investors numbers who were interested in the R & D project you were thinking about.''

''Thanks, I'll stop by your office when I get there.'' Rebecca smiled in appreciation.

Tony looked over to his daughter with a raised eyebrow.

''The R & D project?'' he asked suspiciously. ''What's that about?''

''It's nothing,'' she smirked.

''Yeah, it's _nothing_,'' he shook his head with a chuckled. ''Seriously, what are you working on?''

''Seriously, it's nothing.'' she finished her coffee and looked over to him. ''I'm just trying out a few things, nothing big, haven't got that many ideas yet.''

''Well, you can always come to me for some ideas.'' he suggested. ''I was in the same situation at your age.''

''Uh huh, which is why I want to do this by _myself_. I just want to have my own ideas and stuff. There's enough people out there wondering if I'm going to follow in your legendary footsteps or whatever, I don't need the extra pressure.'' she told him with a smile, beginning to walk back to her room.

''Bec,'' Tony called out, making her turn around to him. ''You're doing a good job, you know that, right? Whatever these people are saying, don't listen to it. Make a name for yourself, don't follow me, you're way better than me.''

Rebecca laughed and ran her hands through her messy hair, pushing it out of her face.

''I highly doubt that dad,'' she shook her head. ''But thanks.''

* * *

Stark Industries was always such a busy place, and since Happy had been promoted to Head of Security, he had made sure Rebecca had one of the best body guards to help her into the building and be by her side just like he was for Tony. It wasn't a controversial time for the company, so the media wasn't a problem for the moment, but Happy made sure she was always protected.

''Badge.'' Happy pointed to one of the staff members walking around the corridor. ''Come on, I even put a sign in the toilet to remind you.''

Rebecca walked through the large corridor, yawning as she held onto a handful of project files while balancing a cup of coffee in her other hand.

''Morning Happy,'' she smiled up at him before looking down just below her shoulder. ''Hey look at that, I'm wearing my badge.''

''It's only taken a few months of me reminding you.'' he commented. ''Pepper said she wanted to see you when you got here.''

''Yeah, I have to go take this stuff down to R & D and I'll go see her.'' she waved the file in her hands. ''I'll see you later, Hap.''

Happy watched as Rebecca walked away followed by her bodyguard, successfully reading over something in the file while sipping her coffee. Somehow she reminded Happy of Pepper when she would do that, completely devoted to her work and being able to do a million things at once, then again her father was able to do the same thing while producing weapon after weapon and even an Iron Man suit. Happy felt privileged to have been able to watch Rebecca grow up and become her own person, he just hoped it worked out for her.

''Hey, badge!'' Happy called out to two other staff members when they caught his attention. ''Come on guys, it's not difficult.''

* * *

Rebecca was in charge of everything in the research and development area of Stark Industries, she controlled everything. After what happened with SHIELD all those months ago, Tony had noticed her desire to focus on something and work on it, and he knew she had a talent for reinventing things and being ahead of everyone, so he gave her the reigns to the whole department of the company.

There was a small project Rebecca was working on with software upgrades and some completely new software all together, something that would boost Stark Industries in many ways, but Rebecca thought nothing of it and barely spoke about anything she worked on. There was a team of people working the department to help out, but as usual, Rebecca preferred doing it herself to make sure it was perfect.

By the time Rebecca made her way back up to Pepper's office, she knew she was late before even looking at the clock on the wall. Pepper was used to it by now after having dealt with Tony for all of these years. Rebecca walked over to the door of Pepper's office and, out of routine, opened the door without even glancing inside. Pepper was sitting over to the side casually with a man dressed in what appeared to be a very expensive suit, his blonde hair combed back perfectly.

''Oh, sorry-''

''Rebecca Stark,'' the man smiled, standing up and straightening up his suit. ''Head of R & D, am I right?''

The man extended his arm to hers to greet and Rebecca nodded her head as they shook hands.

''Yeah, that'd be me.'' she smiled politely, still unsure of who he was or if she had actually met him before.

''Aldrich Killian, A.I.M,'' he told her proudly. ''Advanced-''

''Idea Mechanics.'' Rebecca finished off. ''I've heard of it.''

''You have?'' he asked, surprised.

''Yeah, your organization's been looking for investments into DNA technology so you can try reprogram it.''

Aldrich looked back over to Pepper who looked just as surprised as he was that she was aware of what A.I.M was doing. Rebecca now knew who this man was, although she didn't know what he was doing here at Stark Industries since they certainly weren't going to invest in this idea of altering human DNA. She had looked into A.I.M about a month ago when she heard of investors turning them down numerous times, and then she found out why. A.I.M was developing Extremis, something that is able to reprogram a human's DNA, heal them and regrow lost limbs, but it's side effects and the risks involved were far too dangerous. Of course Aldrich hadn't invented Extremis, but he was the one behind it all.

''You've done your research then,'' Aldrich smiled. ''Well, it's too bad Stark Industries won't be a part of this, but I'm sure we'll cross paths again one day.''

Rebecca looked over to Pepper who gave her a knowing look. They had turned him down on his offer to be part of A.I.M's project, and it was a smart move.

''I'm sure we will.'' Rebecca nodded with a polite smile, picking up the investors file on Pepper's desk before leaving the room.

Meanwhile in the room outside Pepper's office, Happy was trying his best to work his tablet that was connected to Tony back the mansion, filling him in on what was going on. He didn't have a good feeling about Aldrich Killian at all, and he had to let Tony know.

''I'm telling you this guy isn't right,'' Happy shook his head. ''He was showing her his big brain.''

Tony sat in the cellar of his house, sorting wines and tinkering with things, keeping himself busy.

''His what?'' he asked, confused as to what Happy meant.

''Big brain.'' Happy repeated. ''Yeah some techno thing I don't know. Hold on, I'll show you.''

Happy lifted the tablet above his head to point toward Pepper's office where Aldrich and her were talking, but it wasn't working the way he had hoped it would.

''You see that?''

''See what? You looking at them? Flip the screen.'' Tony rolled his eyes at Happy's technological impairment.

''I don't know how to flip the screen! I'm not a tech genius like you!'' Happy told him, annoyed.

''Just keep an eye on him, okay?'' Tony told him. ''I gotta go Hap, I'm uh, I'm busy.''

''You're always busy.''

Tony looked around the room he was in, looking at everything he had done. More suits, more tech, more armor. He didn't know whether he'd been here since last night or if he'd even left over the past few days. All of his hours were mushed into one and he didn't even know what day it was. He was always busy, he just couldn't stop.

* * *

''So how was work?'' Ben asked as they stood in his kitchen eating chocolate.

''Boring.'' she shrugged, not even thinking twice about the meeting with Aldrich Killian. ''You?''

''The usual, so...boring.'' he laughed. ''And what concoction are you cooking up for dinner tonight?''

Every date night they would take turns with dinner, and tonight was Rebecca's turn. Luckily, she hadn't inherited the awful cooking skills of her father and had Pepper to show her how to cook. She loved making dinner for them, it was relaxing. Their date night consisted of doing whatever they wanted to do. It didn't have to be restaurants or fancy meals, and after their last visit, the movies were out of the question tonight, leaving them to spend the night in.

Ben watched as Rebecca stirred a pot of pasta, checking the recipe she was following. He worried about her, no matter how convincing the smile on her face was, and he just wished she would talk to him. It had been like this for months. Things would seem completely normal until something suddenly triggers her memory about that day and she completely blocks him out, and once she's back to normal, they pretend like it never happened. Ben hated her bottling things up, he wanted to talk about it.

That night, Ben was almost asleep when he felt the bed move violently and when he looked up, he saw Rebecca with her hands over her face and taking deep breaths. This happened often, but he hated seeing her so scared, he would never get used to it. Rebecca's body shook with fear as she sat up in bed, and when she uncovered her eyes, Ben reached out to touch her, but it scared her so much she fell out of the bed and onto the floor, tears in her eyes.

''Bec? Hey it's okay, you're with me.'' Ben told her soothingly as he sat on the floor with her.

Rebecca shook her head and covered her face again. It had been a bad nightmare again, and without her usual remedy to help her calm down, she had to sit there and try and calm down by herself. She continued taking deep breaths until she was back to normal again, opening her eyes to see Ben looking at her with worry.

''Don't look at me like that.'' she shook her head, rubbing her eyes.

''It's gotta stop Bec.'' he told her. ''You have to talk about this.''

''No I don't.''

''If you don't talk about it, it's just gonna keep haunting you in your dreams. You need to let it out.'' he encouraged.

''No. You don't understand-''

''Then make me understand! You're not talking to me or telling me anything, how am I supposed to understand?'' he told her, frustrated.

''I don't want to talk about it.'' she told him firmly. ''Just go back to sleep.''

''No, Bec we're talking about this.'' he shook his head. ''I'm not gonna keep watching you like that anymore, I love you too much for any of that bullshit. _Talk _to me.''

Rebecca couldn't sit there and talk to him about it. She felt stupid for being so plagued by the memories, there was no way she could talk about it to him or to anyone.

''I'm not talking about this, just let it go-''

''I'm not letting it go!'' Ben told her. ''Just talk to me.''

''I _can't _talk about it!'' she yelled. ''Just let it go!''

Ben watched as Rebecca stood up and grabbed her keys, rushing over to the door. He got up and followed her out the door, running behind her as she hurried to her car, jumping inside.

''Bec! What are you doing! It's 2am!'' Ben tried to stop her.

''I have to go. I h-have to drive somewhere, I have to do something.'' she told him in a hurried voice.

Before Ben could do anything else, Rebecca sped out of the car park and onto the road with a roar of the engine. She had to wake herself up. Every time Ben asked her to talk about it only brought back memories she had tried to hard to forget about. She hated herself for being so scared, for being so weak when she thought about it. Her phone vibrated on the seat next to her as Ben tried to call her, but she ignored it, turning onto the highway.

In the past few weeks, Rebecca had received a number of speeding tickets for her irresponsible driving, but she just didn't care. She had to wake herself up, convince herself she wasn't dreaming or having a nightmare. As she sped down the empty highway going unbelievably fast, she looked over to the glove compartment and knew she shouldn't open it. Things were worse than ever, and she knew she needed to get help as soon as she reached over and opened the compartment, pulling out a flask. As she drove with one hand, Rebecca took a mouthful of scotch and took a deep breath and it burned her throat before taking another swig. Things had never been this bad, but right now she didn't care, she just wanted to get away from it all.

Rebecca continued driving down the lonely highway until she saw a man in the bushes, his skin glowing bright orange as if he was on fire. He was walking out onto the road and he wasn't stopping. Rebecca slammed on her breaks as she swerved away from the man, but before she knew it the car was rolling on it's side, smashing repeatedly into the road as Rebecca's body flung from side to side. The sound of glass smashing and the car crunching was deafening, and in a matter of seconds it all stopped. The car landed on it's roof, shattered glass surrounding it as a pool of blood formed beneath where Rebecca hung upside down securely in her seat.

* * *

**Sorry to leave you guys on a cliffhanger like that, but I promise next chapter will be worth it ;)**

**Again, I know so far it's focusing on Rebecca, but it'll get to the movie parts soon I think. I'm just doing my own take on IM3 and I have a few ideas I want to include. Hope you guys like it, PLEASE REVIEW! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay so this chapter is going to introduce the complexity of how I want my take on Iron Man 3 to go. I'll admit it's more focused on Rebecca, but only because I want to incorporate her in a different way as well as a realistic way in terms of how the movie played out. I'll still include all the elements of the movie and everything because I thought it was perfect, but again, this is my take appropriation of the story and I hope you guys like it. If you want anything particular included or an input on how I should go about this story so far, PM me or leave me a review, I welcome all criticism in any form, just keep in mind I'm a seventeen year old and not a professional. Thanks! (Chapter might be a bit long, sorry)**

* * *

_Some people call me a terrorist. I consider myself a teacher. America, ready for another lesson? _

* * *

A severe anxiety attack. It didn't seem right to Tony. He had never experienced anxiety before, but Jarvis was always right. He had been having lunch with Rhodey and talking about the military and a certain terrorist threat that had been in the media the past few days when he had been asked to sign something for a child. Everything was fine, until they all mentioned the same thing. New York, Aliens, The Avengers. Tony's heart almost beat out of his chest as his breathing became rapid, and there was only so much more he could take until the little kid whispered into his ear, _How did you get out of the wormhole?__  
_

Everything started spinning then, and Tony had to get outside to his suit. He couldn't go anywhere without it these days, and as soon as he was close enough, he collapsed inside of it, ignoring all the stares he was getting as he fell to his knees.

''Jarvis, check everything,'' he breathed deeply, trying to steady himself. ''Vitals, everything, t-the heart, check it all.''

That's when he had been informed of what he was experiencing.

''Tony?'' Rhodey ran outside and hurried over to him. ''Come on man, this isn't a good look.''

Tony shook his head, pushing Rhodey's arm off him.

''Sorry, I gotta split.''

* * *

Tony hadn't had the best night either. When Pepper arrived home from work, they had managed to get into an argument which led to Tony telling her how he was struggling lately. He told her everything. About how he couldn't sleep, his nightmares, how scared he was, and she was there for him the whole time. Pepper was one of the greatest things that had ever happened to him, and tonight had proved that.

Tony had managed to go to bed that night with Pepper after she had encouraged him, but after a few hours, the nightmares returned as they normally did. Tony was whimpering in his sleep and shaking as his memories flooded his mind, but when Pepper tried to wake him up, the Mark 42 suit had attacked her, holding her down onto the bed until Tony shut it down. They were both so shaken up, and Tony didn't know where to begin explaining.

''I...I must have called it to me in my sleep.'' he breathed deeply as Pepper turned on the lights. ''I'll just...I'll re-calibrate it.''

Tony turned over to see Pepper getting up from the bed with shaky hands. She had never expected to be so afraid in her own home, the suits were getting out of control. Pepper knew he was struggling and he couldn't help the nightmares he had, but she couldn't focus on anything but the thought of the suit trying to attack her.

''Don't...don't go...'' he pleaded sadly.

''I'm gonna sleep downstairs, tinker with that.'' she told him with wide eyes, still shaken up and trying to catch her breath.

Tony watched as Pepper left the room and he soon collapsed back onto the bed as he tried to steady his shaky breathing. His chest was heaving and he couldn't calm himself down. Every time he closed his eyes, all he could see were the images of New York, the Chitauri, the wormhole. He hated this. Not only could he not sleep, but now he had hurt Pepper and scared her which is the last thing he ever wanted. He needed to control himself, he couldn't keep doing this.

* * *

_You know who I am. You don't know where I am, and you'll never see me coming._

* * *

Pepper woke up in the morning on the couch in the living room, tired after her sleepless night. The previous night had been traumatic, but she knew it wasn't Tony's fault. She needed to help him through it, she wouldn't let him do this alone. She sat up on the couch, pushing her blanket to the ground as Jarvis turned on the morning news as usual.

Over the past few days, there had been attacks all over the country, mostly bombs, and due to the breaking news that was flashing over the television screen, something similar had happened overnight. A man had been threatening the country with his violence for days now, videos of the destruction being shown all around the world. His name was the Mandarin, and he had only just begun.

''Morning,'' Tony walked out, standing next to Pepper on the couch with a sympathetic look on his face.

He hated himself for what had happened last night and he just hoped it hadn't scared Pepper too much. He didn't mean for the suit to attack her, he didn't mean for any of it to happen at all and he especially hated that it was all because of him and the fact he was constantly in fear of what might happen. But now Pepper knew, and he was glad that he had told someone.

''Hey,'' she smiled, gesturing for him to sit down next to her. ''You okay?''

Tony sat down and put his hand around her waist out of habit, holding her close to him as he nodded his head.

''I should be asking you,''

''I'm fine,'' she leaned her head on his shoulders. ''But we have to do something about this, okay? I don't want you hiding things like that anymore, you don't have to do this alone, I'm here.''

Pepper looked up at him with a sincere look, rubbing his shoulder affectionately. Tony was lucky to have her. He dipped his head down to press a kiss to her lips before the television made a high pitched crackling noise, causing them both to look over with wide eyes at the image.

It was the same man that had been broadcasting for days now. The Mandarin. Tony had been aware of this man what he was doing, but it was growing worse every day. Images of the man with a long beard, his face shaded with glasses, flashed onto the screen as Pepper and Tony watched on, wondering what was going on now.

''_True story about__ fortune cookies._'' The man's menacing voice echoed through the living room. ''_They look Chinese. They sound Chinese. But they are actually American. Which is why they're hollow, full of lies, and leave a bad taste in the mouth_.''

The next images on screen were of a movie theater being blown up. Flames soared and rubble was blasted across the street in what looked like a terrorist attack.

''_My disciples just destroyed another cheap American knockoff, The Chinese Theater_.'' he spoke proudly. ''_Mr. President, I know this must be getting frustrating, but this season of terror is drawing to a close. But don't worry, the big one is coming. Your graduation.''_

The television blurred back to the regular image of the news, but Pepper and Tony sat there in silence, their minds lingering on what they had just seen. The Mandarin was getting out of control, his threats weren't just words anymore. As they sat together on the couch, the phone ringing broken their silence and Pepper took a moment to answer it, wondering who it was.

Tony remained on the couch thinking about what had happened. This man needed to be stopped, but he didn't know if he was the man for the job anymore. He couldn't even leave the house without having an anxiety attack, he couldn't defend his country when he felt useless.

''Tony...''

Tony looked over to Pepper who had wide, worried eyes, and her hand trembled with the phone in her hand.

''It's Happy.''

* * *

_''Is it working?''_

_''Slowly. It'll take a while, we can't let her wake up yet.''_

Rebecca's arms burned as if acid were being poured over them and it ran all over her body to her core. She didn't know what was happening to her, but she knew the pain was real. It was excruciating, and she couldn't move.

_''What do we do now?''_

_''She'll wake up soon.'_

As if on cue, Rebecca's eyes fluttered open to a dark room. Her vision was blurry for a moment as she adjusted to where she was, and then all her attention was on the contraption was inside of. She was restrained into a machine with tubes in her arms and injections feeding straight into her veins. She couldn't move because of how tight her restraints were, but she couldn't stay still, her body was on fire.

''Stay calm,'' a man's voice came from beside her. ''If you panic, you'll scare yourself. Take a few deep breaths.''

Rebecca closed her eyes and focused on maintaining her breathing, trying desperately to stay calm. Her body felt like it was a ball of flames and her skin was melting, but when she looked down, there was no sign of anything. Everything seemed normal on her body, but something was definitely wrong. The last thing she remembered was screaming as her car rolled onto it's side and slammed into the road. _  
_

_How am I still alive? _she thought, remembering how bad the accident was. _How come I don't feel any pain? Where am I?_

The man walked out in front of her then, folding his arms with a grin plastered on his face. He looked happy with whatever was going on, as if he was proud of what he had done to her, although she still remained clueless what was wrong with her. His hair slicked back as it always was, his expensive suit straightened out perfectly as he looked up at her.

''Killian,'' she gasped.

''Please, call me Aldrich,'' he smiled. ''I think you deserve that after what you've been through.''

''What the hell did you do to me?'' she asked, looking down at her arms which felt like they were still burning.

''You were in pain, you weren't going to make it,'' he explained. ''I helped you, and soon enough you'll be stronger than ever.''

At first, what he was saying didn't compute to her. She knew she was lucky to get out of that car accident, but she must have gotten injured somehow, there was no way she walked away without a scratch. Killian had helped her, but she didn't know what that meant until she thought back to the project he was working on, the virus capable of reprogramming DNA. Rebecca looked at him with a horror in her eyes.

''No...'' she shook her head in disbelief.

''It was the only way.'' Killian smiled as if he had planned the whole thing to work out this way.

Rebecca shook her head, trying to wake herself up from the nightmare she hoped she was enduring. She didn't know anything about this virus apart from the fact it could tap into a person's DNA cells and change them, and that the side effects and repercussions were unimaginable.

''You gave me that...that virus?'' she asked with a loud voice, showing how angry she was.

''I saved your life,'' he corrected. ''You should be thanking me. Without Extremis you'd be dead.''

Killian turned over to the man standing behind him, watching on loyally with his arms folded.

''Eric, I think it's time for the stage to begin.''

The man nodded his head and walked over to Rebecca, inserting a new vial into the machine hooked up to her arms. She fought against it, but it was no use, she couldn't move. Her arms burned like hot metal was being held to them, and she couldn't help whimpering in pain.

''You see, it's so much more than just a simple alteration to DNA cells,'' Killian explained as Eric walked away. ''I'll prove it to you.''

''Why are you doing this?'' Rebecca asked.

''You seemed convinced that Extremis was doomed. That it wasn't _worthy _of being associated with Stark Industries. Me? I'm an example of Extremis, I am a living embodiment of it's success, and soon enough, you will be too.''


	4. Chapter 4

Tony stood in the hospital room, staring at his former bodyguard and friend who laid in the bed unconscious, his face swollen and red from the explosion, a tube in his throat to help him breathe. It was a scary sight considering Tony had never imagined Happy being the victim of an attack, especially since he always thought he could protect those he kept close to him.

Outside, the reporters swarmed the doors awaiting his exit to question him about the explosion at the Chinese Theater where Happy happened to be the night before. He didn't want to deal with them, he just wanted to stop whoever it was that had hurt Happy. The Mandarin couldn't be found, but Tony would find him one way or another.

''Mr. Stark,'' one of the reporters stopped him before he got to his car, walking through the mob. ''When is somebody gonna kill this guy?''

Tony stopped where he was and turned around the the reporter who held his phone out to record his response. They all wanted the Mandarin killed, but that was Tony's friend in that hospital bed, and all they cared about was Iron Man fighting back.

''Is that what you want?'' Tony turned around angrily. ''Here's a little holiday greeting I've been wanting to send to the Mandarin, I just didn't know how to phrase it until now. My name is Tony Stark and I'm not afraid of you. I know you're a coward, so I've decided that you just died pal, I'm gonna come get the body. There's no politics here, it's just good old fashioned revenge. No Pentagon, just you and me. And on the off chance you're a man, here's my home address. 10880 Malibu Point, 90265. I'll leave the door unlocked.''

Tony had just threatened the Mandarin live in television, knowing it would be broadcast just as widely as all of the Mandarin's threats. He knew it was stupid and reckless, but too much had happened now and he just wanted the man stopped. Tony grabbed the reporter's phone and threw it into a concrete wall in frustration, getting into his car and speeding away from the hospital.

He was expecting a call any minute from either Rhodey or Pepper about what he had just done, but he picked up his phone and called Rebecca. Happy was important to her and he knew she would want to go see him, but he hadn't heard from her since she went to Ben's the day before.

''Bec, it's me,'' he began, wondering how to break this to her over a message. ''Uh, don't know if you've seen the news, but I'm guessing you haven't...uh, something's happened and you should probably call me, it's important.''

* * *

Ben had been on edge all morning waiting for Rebecca to come back, but she hadn't shown up yet and he was terrified of going to Stark mansion and telling Tony that she'd gone missing, especially since it was the result of an argument they were having. He hadn't seen Tony that angry yet, but he was sure that hearing his daughter had taken off in the state she was in would make him a target for Tony's rage.

''Bec, pick up the phone please,'' he pleaded into the phone, his call ringing out for the fiftieth time. ''Look, if you don't want to come back or talk to me that's fine, just _please _let me know that you're okay. I'm going crazy here.''

Ben let out a long sigh and fell back onto his bed, running his hands through his hair. He was losing his mind worrying about her, he had to go looking for her. He stood up and walked over to the door, grabbing his keys and rushing out to his car. There was only a few places he thought she would be, but he was going to search everywhere until he found her.

Killian stood in the back of the truck where Rebecca was still hooked up to the machine, looking at her phone in his hands. There were numerous missed calls from Ben and Tony, and he just laughed every time they tried again to get in contact with her.

''You'd think they'd give up, wouldn't you?'' he looked over to her.

Rebecca was exhausted and she could barely keep her eyes open. The serum that she was being injected with was taking it's toll on her as it worked through her veins, strengthening her slowly. Her skin was still burning and it hadn't taken her long to discover the reasoning behind the glowing man on the highway the night before. Extremis had side effects, and one of them was burning up so much that the skin glowed orange with heat, which was why each person had to control themselves.

''Sir, there's something you're gonna want to see,'' another man walked into the room.

''What is it?'' Killian turned around.

''You're being threatened.''

Killian smirked. ''Oh really?''

* * *

To say Pepper was angry with Tony would be an understatement. When he threatened the Mandarin, he put all their lives in danger. However, he thought it was a good thing. He could protect his family with the many suits he had made, and he could lure the Mandarin out into broad daylight where everyone could see him and take him down. It was win-win scenario, or so he thought.

''We have to leave this place now,'' Pepper shook her head, walking upstairs.

''Pepper, we're not leaving, this is our home, I'm not going to be kicked out of it.''

''We are _leaving _and that's final.'' Pepper glared at him before continuing up the stairs.

Tony wasn't leaving, he was sure he could protect them where they were and there was no need to run. Right now his mind was on trying to find out what happened when Happy was attacked at the Chinese Theater. Someone else had to be there with him. Happy was a smart man, if something was going on he would sense it and get out of there, but something else had happened.

Jarvis had loaded the location into Tony's holographic projector to show the layout of where Happy was and where he was found. His body was shown on the ground as Tony ran the footage that was found. Happy was pointing at something, and Tony followed his stretched out finger until he found a dog-tag necklace on the ground. Happy knew Tony would investigate this, he was making sure Tony saw what he did. Jarvis pulled up numerous locations where bombs had exploded, and Tony factored out all of the Mandarin associated explosions, finding one in particular that he thought wasn't right.

Rose Hill, Tennessee. There had been an explosion involving a military man, but it wasn't reported as being a Mandarin attack and the heat signatures matched up to it perfectly. Tony knew something else was going on, and if he found what happened in Tennessee, he might be able to find out what all the explosions were since there had been no remnants of bombs at any of the sites. They weren't bombs, but he was going to find out what they really were.

''Ever been to Tennessee Jarvis?'' he asked.

''Creating a flight plan to Tennessee, sir.''

Just as Tony cleared all of the projections on his floor, he heard the doorbell upstairs. He looked over to the security camera which showed a car in the driveway, and he wasn't sure whether he should panic or not.

''Are we still at ding-dong?'' he asked. ''We're supposed to be on total security lock-down, come on, I threatened a terrorist.'' Tony complained.

Tony checked his phone one last time for any word from Rebecca, but there was nothing. He wasn't too worried since he knew she would be spending the day with Ben, but he needed to know she was okay since they were on threat watch now.

When Tony made it upstairs in his suit for protection, he saw a woman standing at the door with dark brown hair flowing over her shoulders, looking at him confused as he told her to stay where she was. He remembered her immediately. He had met her at a conference in Switzerland back in 1999, she was a bio- technologist who was working on a formula, although he remembered her mostly from spending the night with her.

''You're not the Mandarin,'' he spoke. ''Are you?''

Maya let out a sigh. ''You don't remember me. Why am I not surprised?''

''Don't take it personally, I don't remember what I ate for breakfast.''

''Look, I need to be alone with you somewhere that's not...here,'' she told him as she walked inside. ''It's urgent.''

Tony narrowed his eyes at her before walking into the house more.

''You know, normally I'd be up for that sorta thing, but now I'm in a committed relationship-'' he was cut off by two large luggage bags being tossed downstairs, slamming onto the floor. ''...with her.''

''Tony?'' Pepper's voice came from upstairs. ''Is someone here?''

''Yeah, it's Maya Hansen.'' he called out, surprising Maya that he remember. ''Old botanist pal that I used to know...barely.'' Tony looked back to Maya who was standing close and whispered. ''Please don't tell me there's a twelve year old kid waiting in the car that I've never met.''

''He's thirteen.'' Maya told him with a blank expression before rolling her eyes at his spasm of fear. ''No. I need your help.''

''What for? Why now?''

''Because I don't think you'll last the week.'' Maya told him, referring to the Mandarin.

''Ill be fine-''

''I'm sorry, I didn't know we were expecting guests.'' Pepper walked over with as smile and a huff of exhaustion after she had hurried downstairs. ''Okay, we're going out of town.''

Tony shook his head. ''We've been over this, nope-''

''Yep!'' Pepper cut in. ''Immediately and indefinitely.''

''Honey-''

''Great idea.'' Maya nodded, trying to hurry them out of the house.

Pepper and Tony continued arguing as Maya's gaze caught on a television in the house, a live news feed that was showing Tony Stark's mansion right now being targeted by helicopters.

''Uh...should we be worried about that?'' Maya broke their argument, looking at them with wide eyes.

They all looked over to a see a missile flying right at the mansion, and then everything seemed to move in slow motion. The missile hit and blew them all backwards, and Tony thought quick enough to engage his Mark 42 suit and call it to Pepper instead of himself. He couldn't stand it if she got hurt. Within milliseconds, the suit was assembling around Pepper just before she was slammed back into the wall, falling to the ground. Tony and Maya landed on the rubble and tried to pick themselves up.

They were being attacked, they had to get out now. Tony pulled himself up onto his elbows only to see a piece of concrete above him just about to fall, and he braced himself for the pain just before the suit loomed over him, protecting him from harm.

''I got you,'' Pepper gasped as the face plate lifted to reveal her face.

''I got you first,'' he told her, standing up. ''Like I said, we can't stay here.''

However, it wasn't an easy escape. Tony followed Pepper out of the living room before the floor gave way, separating them. He told her to grab Maya and get outside, insisting she leave now and not worry about him. Pepper lifted Maya from the ground and eventually got them outside, although all she wanted to do was run back inside and get Tony out.

''Ms. Potts is clear of the premises,'' Jarvis informed Tony as he hid behind a wall from the bullets being shot inside.

Tony reached his arm and out and pulled back to himself, summoning the suit. Quickly, it pulled apart from around Pepper and flew back to Tony who was climbing up the floor as his mansion fell into the sea below, being blown apart. He didn't know if he was going to make it, but he didn't stop trying. The suit assembled around him in a matter of seconds and he fought back enough to knock out of the choppers down, but his suit was lacking power, and soon enough he was dragged from the house and pulled down into the sea with it.

It all happened so fast, he barely processed what was going on. As long as Pepper got out of the house before it went down was all that was on his mind, but down he was in the water stuck, his suit filled with water. He tried to calm himself down, this wasn't the time for an anxiety attack, but he couldn't help it. He was trapped underneath concrete, but Jarvis took over.

''Sir, take a deep breath,'' he suggested at the hand piece of the suit detached, pulling him up from the water.

* * *

Rebecca awoke to an empty room, still trapped in the machine, her eyes scanning for any sign of Killian or his men. Her skin was burning as if it was on fire and she her veins felt as though acid was running through them. Killian had told her that not everyone survived the Extremis transition, but he assured her she had, and she didn't understand how this was considered surviving when all she felt was pain.

''How do you feel?'' Killian walked into the room, noticing the fear in her eyes. ''Don't worry, the process is over now.''

Rebecca moved around in her restraints, whimpering as her skin felt like it was melting. She looked down to see her skin glowing all shades of orange before looking back up to Killian with panic in her now red eyes, beginning to hyperventilate.

''Make it stop!'' she shouted, thrashing around. ''What's happening!''

''Calm down,'' he told her gently. ''The calmer you are, the more control you have over what's happening.''

Rebecca took a few deep breaths before her skin settled back to it's normal color. She couldn't believe what Extremis had done to her, what Killian had made her become.

''You turned me into a monster,'' she shook her head.

''I saved your life,'' he told her again. ''I made your life better. You can do anything now, no one can stop you, I can _show _you.''

''I don't want your help,'' she growled, pushing her arms out until the restraints snapped and the tubes in her arms broke free.

Killian stood back as Rebecca made her way onto the ground, standing up. She looked over her new body, wondering how it glowed like that. She was stronger, she felt like she could run for hours and not break a sweat, she felt invincible.

''See?'' Killian smiled. ''You can do anything.''

Rebecca looked up at him again with her red, glowing eyes and her skin became a bright orange. Killian could tell she was angry, and although he also had the Extremis virus and held the same strength, she was just beginning to experience it, and she was stronger. She put her hands around Killian's neck and pushed him onto the back wall, holding him up.

''I _can _do anything,'' she nodded. ''And I'm going to make sure you pay for what you've done to me, I'm going to make sure you suffer!''

''Hey!'' Another man walked into the room, holding his gun up at her. ''Calm down now!''

Rebecca's grip tightened around Killian's neck as he fought back with equal strength, but her anger was powerful. The man fired at her, but the bullets only hit her and dissolved in her skin which was scorching. She pulled Killian up more and threw him over into the other man, knocking them both to the ground. Before they had time to get up, Rebecca bashed her way through the back of the room and outside, running as fast as she could. Her skin was on fire and she couldn't help screaming in pain as she ran, trying to calm herself down.

''Go after her!'' one of the men shouted to the other.

''No, don't!'' Killian yelled. ''Leave her.''

''But sir-''

''She'll won't make it to sunrise.'' he assured them. ''She doesn't know how to control herself, she's as good as dead.''


	5. Chapter 5

''Sir!''

Tony's eyes opened to the HUD flashing in front of his face. He was still flying in the suit, but he was unconscious until now, unaware of anything else that had happened since being pulled from the water by the suit.

''That's the emergency alert, triggered by the power dropping below 5%,'' Jarvis informed him.

The suit was slowing down, and before Tony knew it, he was crashing into the road below them, being tossed into the woods surrounding and ending up in a heap on the ground. Tony ripped off his face plate and looked around, blinking a few times to make sure he wasn't imaging the snow the was falling down in the night sky.

''We're five miles out of Rose Hill, Tennessee.''

Tony's eyes widened as he thought about where he was and where he should be. His home was just destroyed, his family was still left back in Malibu and whoever it was that attacked wasn't going to stop. He needed to be there to protect them.

''Why?'' he asked angrily. ''Jarvis, not my idea. What are we doing here? This is thousands of miles away, I've gotta get Rebecca and Pepper-''

''I prepared a flight plan, this was the location.''

Tony opened the suit for a moment and realized how cold it was, but he couldn't cozy back up in the suit since Jarvis had warned that he was malfunctioning, and then he was left on his own to deal with everything.

''Jarvis?'' he asked. ''Don't leave me buddy.''

* * *

Rebecca had ran as far as she could, reaching a small diner for travelers that was open all night. She knew she wasn't safe from Killian and his henchman, but she felt safer here than running along a dark road with her skin glowing orange. She didn't know why it was glowing and therefore had no idea how to control it. Whatever Extremis was doing to her, she didn't know how to handle it yet. She was dressed in a black tank top and pants, and although her appearance mattered the least to her right now, she stood outside the door of the diner until an image on the television screen inside took her attention. It wasn't a nightmare, but she wished it was. The home she grew up in was crumbling to pieces and falling into the ocean, explosions erupting from everywhere as two helicopters attacked it from the sky.

_''The attack is speculated to have been the Mandarin's response to Tony Stark's very public threat to the worldwide terrorist earlier in the day following the explosion as the Chinese Theater which put Stark's previous bodyguard and close friend Happy Hogan into hospital suffering major injuries. The attack, although invited by Mr. Stark himself, was unexpected and caused considerable damage to the home he shares with girlfriend, former assistant Pepper Potts and his daughter Rebecca from a previous marriage. There has been no comment made from either Ms. Potts or Miss Stark following the attack that has left Tony Stark missing after he was personally targeted in the attack.''_

Rebecca's eyes widened in fear as she watched the images on the screen. It was horrifying to see her home being destroyed, but it was worse knowing that she wasn't there with them when it happened.

''Are you alright?''

Rebecca spun around quickly as she felt a hand on her shoulder and immediately pushed it off. The man stood there with a confused expression, wondering what was wrong with her as his eyes were glued to her glowing skin and red eyes. She had no idea what she was no capable of and she didn't know how to control what kept causing her obvious side effects. Whatever little force she thought she had used on the man had obviously hurt him as he cradled his wrist, looking at her as if she was an alien.

''I'm sorry,'' she looked at him with genuine apology before walking away, her mind muddled with thoughts. ''I didn't mean to...I'm sorry,''

Rebecca rushed away before anything else happened and stood in the middle of the parking lot calming herself down. She needed to get back to Malibu and find Pepper, she would figure out the rest later. With the way her body was reacting, she couldn't hitchhike her way back and she didn't have a suit on call, in fact she hadn't been in one since New York.

Walking over to a car, she knew she had to take her chance. She only had so much time before whoever it was that attacked would do it again and she had to hurry. Rebecca hadn't stolen a car before, but she figured it couldn't be that difficult. However, as soon as her hand touched the door, it began glowing orange once again and she flinched away from the metal, looking at the indentation her hand made. Her skin didn't just feel like it was heating up, it actually was, and it was melting through metal. Rebecca put her hand back and put more pressure on the door, ignoring the millions of questions running through her mind and focusing on slipping her arm through the small hole she created in the door. Hot-wiring was no problem either, considering it was an old car, since she had known how to do so for many years.

''Hey!'' someone yelled, chasing behind as Rebecca drove the car slowly. ''That's my car!''

''Bill me!''

* * *

Pepper walked around what used to be their living room, glancing over all of the rubble that filled the open rooms. There were no walls left, there was no roof and almost everything was either in the ocean or incinerated in the blasts. Tony's Iron Man mask was over on the ground laying unnoticed as teams walked around taking information and assessing damage. Pepper cradled the mask in her hands and picked it up, holding it close to her face as if Tony was inside. She had never been so afraid in her life of losing someone she loved so much. Since the attack, Pepper had tried desperately to get in contact with Rebecca, but her phone was out of service and Ben hadn't heard from her. Ben had offered to go to the mansion and help Pepper, but she insisted it was too dangerous.

Pepper pulled away from the mask to see a red light inside, flashing as if it was warning her of something. Without thinking, she lifted the mask and placed it over her hear, wondering what was going on.

''Pepper, it's me,'' Tony's voice came into her ear.

Her eyes widened at the sound of the familiar voice and she almost cried with joy. Wherever he was, he was okay, he was alive. She had been so scared that he was dead or that the Mandarin had taken him, but he was alive. Tony had walked through the snowy grounds in Tennessee, pulling the suit behind him on some rope since it was out of power, until he reached a payphone where he knew he had to call Pepper.

''I got a lot of apologies to make and not a lot of time. First off, I'm so sorry for putting you in harms way, that was selfish and stupid and it won't happen again. I'm sorry. And I'm sorry in advance because I can't come home yet. I need to find this guy. You and Bec have gotta stay safe and stay together. Pepper I'm worried about her, and you're the only one I trust to make sure she's okay, I haven't heard from her and it's freaking me out. That's all I know. I just stole a poncho from a wooden Indian.''

* * *

Rebecca sped onto the highway, ignoring the blaring horns of angry drivers behind her as she headed toward Malibu. So far she had managed to melt grooves into the steering wheel but soon learned that all she had to do was calm herself down, but it wasn't an easy thing to do considering what had happened. She continued driving until she heard a rattle in the cars console, rummaging around until she found a cell phone. No one had heard from her and had no idea where she was and she knew they would be worried. She knew Pepper would be looking for her after the attack but she couldn't see her when she was like this. She had no idea how to control what Extremis was doing to her, but she couldn't deal with this by herself like she had with everything else.

''Hello?''

''Hey Ben,'' Rebecca smiled at his voice, still driving down the highway. ''Sorry I haven't called.''

''Where the hell are you?'' he asked desperately. ''Are you alright?''

''I'm okay,'' she assured him, turning off the highway. ''Listen, I can't explain much right now, can you meet me somewhere?''

''What's going on?''

''I can't explain it over the phone. I just...I can't go home right now.''

''Bec, Pepper's looking for you, she's been calling all day,'' he told her.

''I know, I'll let her know I'm okay once I figure some things out, I just really need you to meet me at our spot, alright?''

''I'll be there,''

It was only half an hour later when Rebecca saw Ben's car driving into the long road that lead to the peaceful boardwalk that they first came to over a year ago. She had been worried about how she would explain what was going on with her, but she couldn't lie to him and they didn't have time for her to be hiding things. Rebecca had no idea how to fix what was happening to her, but right now her focus was on finding her father and making sure Pepper was safe. The Mandarin was serious, they all had to watch their steps.

''Bec?'' Ben stepped out of his car, looking around.

''Over here,'' she called out, sliding off the side of the bonnet.

Ben didn't give her enough time to think before he rushed over and wrapped his arms around her. Rebecca tried her hardest to stay calm, terrified that she would hurt him since her skin was like hot metal. Ben hugged her close and pressed a kiss to her forehead with a sigh of relief.

''Where did you go?'' he asked, pulling back to cradle her face in his hands gently, looking over her. ''I was so worried about you.''

''I'm fine,'' Rebecca moved back to look at him. ''Sort of, not really.''

Ben seemed confused. ''What do you mean 'not really'?''

'''Not really' as in my hands almost melted through the steering wheel while I drove her in a car I stole by melting the door with my fingers,''

Ben's eyes widened as he looked over at the car door, a hole obvious in the door surrounded by melted metal. When he looked back at her, he didn't know if she was joking or not. She looked fine. There was no obvious signs that anything was wrong.

''I...don't know what's going on,'' he shook his head. ''Too many things have happened today and you just, you need to explain things because I honestly don't know what's going on anymore,''

''I crashed my car on the highway, totally destroyed it...I _should_ be dead,'' Rebecca told him clearly. ''I woke up in a machine, with Extremis. It's a virus that reprograms DNA and I have no idea what's going on with my body right now but I know I can hurt people accidentally, my skin burns and I can melt things.''

Ben couldn't process what she was trying to say, it was too unbelievable.

''Please tell me you're not serious right now,''

Rebecca didn't know why she was frustrated that he didn't believe her, she didn't expect him to, it was crazy, but she was. She put her hand on the bonnet of the car and concentrated enough until her hand was glowing and the metal beneath her fingers turned to liquid. Ben stumbled backwards as he looked on in fear, staring into Rebecca's glowing red eyes and wishing it was all a nightmare. It was one thing to witness a terrorist attack on the people he now called family that day, but this was beyond that by a long shot.

''Please don't be scared,'' she settled down, taking deep breaths to calm herself. ''I know how to control it...kind of. I just needed to tell you. I've hidden so much from you these past few months and I was insanely stupid when I left in the car and I just needed to see you and talk to you because all of this happened and my h-home is _gone _and my dad's missing and Pepper doesn't even know and everyone is in danger...''

Rebecca was shaking as she explained everything to Ben and he watched on in horror as her body began glowing orange as she worked herself up. He could see now how it took over her body, and he was terrified, but not for himself. She was confused and didn't know what her body was doing and she had chosen him to let into all of this, otherwise she was alone.

Ben stood up and slowly walked over to Rebecca cautiously.

''Bec, just breathe,'' he told her soothingly. ''It's going to be okay, I won't let you do this alone.''

Rebecca breathed in deep and took her time to calm down, however it took a while for the glow of her skin to return to normal and she wouldn't let Ben get too close to her, scared she would hurt him.

''You have to,'' she told him. ''I have to find my dad.''

''I get that, I do, but I can't let you do this all on your own, you need help.''

''No, listen, I _have _to do this alone. Someone's looking for me and he's dangerous, I can't let you be with me and risk you getting caught up in all of it. I have to find my dad by myself.''

Ben didn't know what to say to convince her not to do this by herself. She was extremely stubborn and protective, she wasn't going to listen and it seemed like she had already made up her mind.

''What about Pepper? She hasn't heard from you and has been going crazy looking for you,'' he reminded her.

''I'm going to call her and let her know I'm okay,'' she nodded. ''You have to help me here, make sure she knows I'm safe.''

''How will I know if you even _are _safe if you go off by yourself?''

''I will be, trust me. Please just stay safe and make sure Pepper stays safe. I'm serious, whoever the Mandarin is, he knows about everyone involved and you have to be careful.''

''Bec please don't do this alone,''

''It's safer this way, I promise,'' she assured him. ''I'll call you, I'll Pepper, just _please _stay safe.''

Ben hated having to agree to let her go, but he understood her reasoning. Still, it was hard to let the girl he loved leave on her own when people were after her, especially in this new, dangerous condition she was in.

''I promise,'' he nodded. ''but you have to do the same.''

''I will,'' she walked over to him. ''I have to go now though because I don't know who's coming and I don't know what they'll do,''

''How will you find your dad though?''

Rebecca shrugged. ''I'll find a way, I always do,''

Without hesitation, Ben pulled her close for a hug once again, leaning back only to press a kiss to her lips. It was hard to believe only moments ago her skin was melting metal.

''I love you,'' he told her as he held onto her once more.

''I love you too,'' she kissed his cheek. ''From now on, you stay safe,''

There wasn't enough time for planning or any more explanation, they had to be safe before anything else happened. Ben followed Rebecca out of the long driveway in his car as she lead the way in the stolen vehicle, assuring him she would find another soon, legally. When they reached the intersection they departed going separate ways, and neither of them knew what was going to happen.

* * *

**Sorry this chapter was a little longer than the others.  
Please review!**


	6. Chapter 6

Pepper drove the car down the highway, trying not to focus too much on everything that had happened and instead on somewhere safe to be. Maya Hansen was sitting in the passenger seat, seeking somewhere to stay just like Pepper since she was now at risk also. Pepper was too smart to overlook the convenience that Maya had turned up exactly when they were attacked, but she didn't understand why she would have stayed there when they were hit or with Pepper after it all.

''Why were you at the house tonight?'' she asked, getting straight to the point. ''What was so important that you had to speak to Tony?''

Maya looked over to Pepper hesitantly, wondering if she could trust this woman she had just met.

''I think that my boss is working for the Mandarin,'' she told her truthfully. ''so if you still want to talk about it, I suggest we get ourselves some place safe.''

''Your...boss works for the Mandarin, you think? But Tony says you're a botanist-''

''Oh that figures, what I _actually_ am is a biological DNA coder running a team of 40 out of a privately funded think-tank, but sure you can call me a botanist.'' Maya shook her head, annoyed at Tony.

''This boss of yours, does he have a name?'' Pepper asked.

''Yeah, Aldrich Killian,''

Pepper's looked over to Maya with wide eyes, wondering if she was telling the truth. Aldrich Killian was an old friend of Pepper's, there was no way he could have been working for the man who wanted Tony dead, but then again, this man was completely different to the person Pepper knew all those years ago, it was incredibly possible.

They both jolted in surprise when Pepper's cell began ringing in her pocket.

''You shouldn't answer that, it could be-''

''It's okay,'' Pepper smiled at the caller I.D, answering the phone. ''Bec! Oh my god, please tell me you're alright!''

Rebecca was also driving down the highway, but in a completely different direction to Pepper. She didn't know where she was going yet, but she had to get somewhere out of town so she could think of a plan, hack into something, anything.

''I'm fine Pepper, where are you?''

''Headed to a hotel, you can meet me there-''

''No, it's not safe for both of us to be there,'' Rebecca cut her off. ''Don't tell me where you are, just tell me that you're safe.''

''I'm safe, it's okay,'' Pepper assured her. ''Where are you? We've been calling you all day.''

''I know I'm sorry, I was uh, I was with Ben somewhere, didn't have my phone most of the day. Right now I'm out of town at a motel, I'll be safe.''

''By yourself? No, no I don't like it, you're coming to stay with me-''

''Pepper I can't. Whoever the Mandarin is, he isn't finished. We _both _need to be careful, and we'll be more at risk if we're together, it'll be too easy for him,'' she explained. ''I'll move again in the morning.''

''I don't like the idea of you being out there alone.''

''I know, but it's okay, I promise, I'm safe.''

''Don't stay on the phone too long, it could be bugged,'' Maya warned Pepper.

''Who's that?'' Rebecca asked, worried.

''It's okay, it's one of your dad's old friends, Maya Hansen,'' Pepper told her. ''We're finding a hotel, we're gonna be safe.''

''Good, but she's right, we can't talk for long. I'll call you tomorrow, and you call me if anything goes wrong.''

''Wait Bec, I heard from your dad. He was safe, he sent a recorded message to the suit, he's alive, but he can't come home yet, he's...he said he has to find this guy.''

Rebecca gripped the steering wheel tight, trying not to melt it or become worked up. She was glad her dad was safe, but this man was going to kill him and she couldn't sit back and let it happen.

''Where is he?''

''He didn't say, it's not safe-''

Rebecca listened in, but the line had gone silent.

''Pepper?''

The battery on the phone had died and cut out their conversation, and Rebecca swore as she threw it out the window, knowing she wouldn't be able to call Pepper again from another phone. One call to Pepper's cell was risky, but another was just stupid. She got what she needed from the conversation though. Pepper was safe and her dad was alive, somewhere. Now she just had to find him.

* * *

Tony had been walking through the thick snow in Tennessee for hours now, wandering around looking for somewhere to stay. A motel wasn't safe, he had to find somewhere no one could trace or think he would be. After he had made his call to Pepper and stolen a warm poncho, he began he trek again to find somewhere to stay until he came across a shabby looking shed outside of a house. It was night and there seemed to be no one around, so he took his chances.

Inside was exactly what he was hoping for. It was a shed filled with tools and some chairs, although he knew he wouldn't need somewhere to sleep. He hadn't slept in so long and now all of this had happened, but there was no way he was getting a wink of sleep that night or any other night until he had found this man and made sure Rebecca and Pepper were okay.

Tony sat the suit down in the chair, adjusting it properly before he got to work. He sat down at the bench desk and pulled the light over his arm, picking up pliers to fix the opening of wounds from where he had implanted the devices inside him which allowed the suit to be summoned to his body. It had been torn apart in the midst of the attack, and it was becoming painful.

''Freeze!''

Tony looked up at the door where a little boy was standing, a makeshift potato gun in his hands aimed at Tony. He obviously lived here and was shocked to find this man in his shed, but Tony listened and put his hands up, showing he wasn't here to cause trouble.

''Don't move,'' the boy warned.

''You got me,'' Tony shook his head. ''Nice potato gun. Barrel's a little long.''

Tony continued telling the boy a few things wrong with his gun and he responded by shooting towards some glass on the wall, proving Tony wrong about his gun's capabilities.

''Now you're out of ammo,'' Tony put his hands down.

''What's that thing on your chest?'' the boy asked.

''It's a uh, electromagnet. You should know, you've got a box of them right here,'' Tony flicked against a small box on the desk.

''What does it power?''

Tony moved over to the side, looking back at the suit sitting in the chair comfortably.

The young boy dropped his gun, his mouth hanging open in shock with a smile on his face. It was clear he knew what it was and that he was a fan, and he couldn't help walking towards it, his eyes glued to the suit.

''Oh my god!'' he gasped. ''Is that...is that Iron Man?''

''Technically, I am,'' Tony shrugged.

''Technically, you're dead,'' the boy handed him the paper before walking over to the suit.

The headlines were unmistakable. 'Mandarin Attack: Stark Presumed Dead'. He couldn't help his heart aching at the thought of Rebecca finding this paper and realizing what happened, but he was unable to even get in contact with her to tell her he was okay. He just wanted to hear her voice, know she was okay and it would make him feel a whole lot better, but right now, that wasn't an option.

''What happened to him?'' the boy asked, climbing up to sit beside the suit.

''Life,'' Tony sighed. ''I built him, I'll take care of him.''

''Like a mechanic?'' the boy nodded his head. ''You know, if I was building Iron Man _and _War Machine-''

''It's Iron Patriot now,'' Tony corrected.

''No way! That's way cooler!''

''No it's not,''

''Well anyway, I would have added retro-''

''Retro reflection panels?'' Tony asked.

''Yeah, to make it stealth mode.''

''Stealth mode? That's actually a good idea,'' Tony nodded.

The young boy managed to snap off the suits finger resulting in Tony telling him to quit touching him, but the boy was consumed by the idea that Iron Man was in his shed, sitting on his couch. He had watched him on the news all the time, and now he was face to face with it all.

''So who's home?'' Tony asked.

''Well my mom already left for the diner and my dad went to the 7/11 to get scratchers but I guess he won 'cause that was six years ago,''

Tony couldn't do this personal thing with kids he had never met before. He was fine with Rebecca as she grew up because she was his, he could fix everything whenever she cried or was sick or upset, but with another kid, he had no idea, so he opted for the carefree, tough love approach.

''Which happens, dad's leave, no need to be a pussy about it,'' he shrugged, and when the boy didn't exactly get upset or mad, he immediately changed the subject. ''Here's what I need; a laptop, a digital watch, a cell phone, a pneumatic actuator from your bazooka over there, a map of the town, a big spring, and a tuna fish sandwich.''

The boy smirked. ''What's in it for me?''

Tony looked away to think quickly. This kid was a lot more likable than all the other kids he'd met.

''Salvation. What's his name?''

''Who?''

''The kid who bullies you at school.''

''How did you know?''

''I got just the thing,'' Tony walked over to the suit pulling out something small. ''This is a very powerful weapon. Point it away from the face, press the button on top. It discourages bullying. Not lethal, just to cover one's ass. Deal?''

''Deal,'' the boy agreed, taking the small weapon.

''What's your name?'' Tony asked.

''Harley,'' the boy answered, looking over the weapon. ''What do I call you?'' he asked Tony.

''The mechanic, Tony.''

* * *

Rebecca had managed to ditch the stolen car she was driving in an empty parking lot on the side of the highway, walking to the nearest gas was a small car dealership down the road for second-hand, run down cars, and it was perfect. She didn't want to drive a car that anyone thought she would, she had to be able to get by under the radar.

She had managed to purchase a run down old Ford, providing the dealer with a reasonable tip and leaving before they got too familiar. She was careful to hide her face from everyone she walked past or spoke to, making sure that no one realized who she was. If the Mandarin found out she was looking for her dad, she didn't know what would happen. She also purchased a cheap cell phone from the gas station and called Ben, making sure everything was okay.

''Ben? Where are you?''

''I'm at home, I already made sure Pepper was okay,'' he told her with a sigh of relief. ''She's with a family friend, I think she'll be safe.''

''I know, I called her,'' Rebecca continued driving. ''I don't know who Maya is but I have no choice but to trust her right now, Pepper seems to be sure she'll be safe. She heard from my dad too.''

''What? Where is he?''

''I don't know, neither does Pepper, but he's alive, all I gotta do is find him.''

Rebecca could hear Ben's worry on the other side of the phone, and she knew he was anxious about her being out here on her own.

''Are you _sure _you know what you're doing?''

''No,'' she chuckled. ''But hey, I never do and it's worked out pretty well so far.''

''That's not exactly comforting,''

''It's all I can offer at the moment,''

''Where are you?''

''Driving out of town, I'll stop at a motel soon. I still don't know where I'm heading, but I'll map something out over the night, gives me time to think,''

''I still wish you would have let me come with you, I hate thinking of you out there by yourself, especially with what's happening with you,''

Rebecca was so lucky to have someone like Ben in her life. He genuinely cared about her, and it only made her love him more, but he couldn't come with her. She had no idea what she was doing and there was no way she could expect him to go along with this, especially since she was still understanding what Extremis was doing to her, she didn't want to hurt him accidentally.

''I couldn't stand it if you got hurt because of me,'' she told him honestly. ''It's too dangerous, it's easier if you stay safe there at home.''

''I could help you find him,'' he suggested. ''If you find anything I can hack into any computer and find more information,''

''You'd break the law for me?'' she asked jokingly.

''I'd do anything for you, you know that,''

Rebecca smiled to herself. ''I love you,'' she sighed. ''I'll call you again later when I find where I'm staying and we'll work something out, I promise.''

''Okay, be careful,''

Rebecca continued driving down the highway looking for a motel to stay at. She hoped that the Mandarin didn't have her father, wherever he was, and that she could find him before he did anything dangerous by himself. They had been through so much already together, she wasn't going to let him fight against this madman on his own when she was capable of helping. However, she didn't really know what she was capable of anymore. Extremis had taken over her whole body and it had taken her thing long to just understand how to calm herself down and stop from 'overheating', she didn't know what else was in store for her, but she wasn't going to let it get in her way. Killain said she could do anything, and she planned to put that to the test.

* * *

**I hope you guys are enjoying it! It's going to get more interesting as it goes on and I'm sorry for a lot of movie-dialogue and retelling, but that's how I incorporate Rebecca into it effectively I think, it was necessary but I hope not to bore you all with too much of it. Anyway, please review with whatever you think about the story or parts you'd like to see or ideas, I love hearing from you guys. Thank you all for reading! **


	7. Chapter 7

**Thanks for the reviews guys! Just before this chapter, I have to explain that in order to lengthen my story and make it different from the movie, I have to change the amount of time between certain scenes in the movie. So where things would happen in the same day during the movie or at night, I'll be changing it to maybe another day later or a different time. Just thought I'd warn you guys so there was no confusion, thanks!**

* * *

Rebecca had managed to find a reasonably isolated motel outside of town. It looked like a quiet place, complete with internet access, which was exactly what hse had been hoping for. Everything in the house was gone now, all of the technology and the computers, but the information was still out there. With Ben's help, Rebecca could hack into her dad's computer system and files, looking for any information as to where he could be. Rebecca was probably the only person other than Tony himself who would be able to hack into such an advanced system, but she had all night to do it.

The virus she had wasn't much of an issue while she had been on her own. Her body wasn't heating up and she wasn't getting worked up anymore, but she knew that it would be very easy to do so and hurt someone accidentally. Her number one priority was finding her dad and making sure he wasn't taking on the Mandarin alone, but she was also desperate to know what was going on with her body. She only knew the basics about Extremis, she needed to know more.

Rebecca picked up the cheap cell phone she purchased at the gas station and dialed a memorized number, holding the phone to her ear as she looked around the little food and drinks bar in the room.

''Ben, it's me, I'm at a motel now,'' she told him as she crouched down, looking through the scattered treats the room had to offer. ''Listen, how good are you at hacking into things?''

''You mean how good am I at doing my job? Not bad, why?''

''I need a big favor, but it's pretty difficult,''

''What is it?''

''Hacking into my dad's computer system,''

''Are you kidding? No one can hack that thing!''

''Which is why I said it's going to be a_ little_ difficult. I can tell you all of the necessary codes and stuff, I just don't have access to a computer,'' she told him calmly. ''It'll probably be easy...I think.''

Rebecca could hear Ben let out a sigh and think to himself for a moment. Hacking into Tony Stark's system wasn't exactly something he thought he would ever have to do, but then again, a lot of things had happened that day he never thought would.

''I'll try, but I can't guarantee anything,''

''That's all I'm asking,'' she smiled to herself, glad he was going to try. ''I just need to get this done quickly, as soon as I know where he is I'm leaving,''

Ben was sitting at his computer as he listened to Rebecca, wondering how he could help her more. He didn't like her doing this alone but she just wouldn't let him go with her, but there was no way he was going to sleep well or even function properly until he knew she was okay and not alone. Then, he thought of an idea. He had all sorts of technology now thanks to Tony giving him all sorts of applications and gadgets, and he knew how to trace a cell phone now thanks to Rebecca showing him how in case of emergencies at any time. He knew Rebecca was worried Ben would get hurt if he went with her, but he didn't care, he knew how to take care of himself and right now, Rebecca needed someone with her no matter how much she denied it.

''I'll let you know when I find something,'' he told her, immediately beginning to scan for the location of her cell since he knew she wouldn't tell him where she was. ''Just give me the codes and I'll see what I can do.''

''Thank you,''

It had been an hour since Rebecca had heard from Ben and she didn't know what to do in order to pass the time. There was nothing she could do without a location to focus on, and therefor all her thoughts came down to Extremis. She had been infected with the virus for a while now, but she still didn't understand it. She didn't know what it was doing to her inside and how it affected her outside, but the more she worried, the more she skin burned.

She put her hands on the bed and singed through the sheets accidentally, causing her to find a spot on the ground where she wouldn't cause a fire. Rebecca knew how to control it, but it wasn't working as well as she had hoped. Beside her was the mini-fridge and she reached over to open it up, reveling numerous bottles of alcohol. She knew she shouldn't drink, especially after what happened when she took her last drink, but she needed to calm down, and she was desperate.

* * *

There was a constant banging noise, and it was getting louder each time. It felt as if the room was spinning and she was surrounded by fire. With each bang there was a vision of the Chitauri chasing her around New York, following her around the buildings and shooting at her. Each bang was the sight of the team getting hit, knocked down, and every bang make her shake with fear until her eyes flew open to an empty motel room, the lights off, but the banging noise still going.

It took a moment for Rebecca to register the fact that someone was hitting on the door to her room repeatedly, and she didn't know what to do. She wasn't careful enough, she wasn't safe, they had found her and now she had nowhere to run. Killian was going to kill her and if it wasn't him on the other side of the door, it was bound to be one of his henchman.

Rebecca walked over to the door to look outside, but there was no way she could see without them seeing her. She walked over to beside the bed and picked up the lamp on the bedside table, although she knew it wouldn't do much damage, it was better than nothing and she had nothing else to count on. There was no other choice but to open the door and get it over with. Rebecca slowly walked over and grasped the door handle, swinging the door open quickly to reveal someone she wasn't expecting at all.

''Bec!'' Ben shouted, stepping back in fear.

She wasn't expecting Ben to show up at all and with the fear of Killian and his henchmen finding her, she was worked herself up to the point where was glowing and her eyes were fiery red. All of her skin was a bright orange hue and she could fear the lamp in her hands melting beneath her fingertips.

''Ben?'' she gasped, her breathing out of control as her heart rate was trying to settle. ''W-what the...what the hell are you doing here? How did you...what are you doing!''

Ben put his hands up and walked toward her, doing his best to stay calm around her. Seeing his girlfriend glowing orange and melting things in her hands was never an image he would get used to, but she was still Rebecca, and she was terrified.

''It's okay,'' he told her in a soothing voice. ''Just...put the lamp down Bec, it's okay,''

Rebecca backed away from Ben, worrying she was going to hurt him by just being near him. She didn't want him to be here with her for this reason. She didn't want him getting hurt because people were after her, but she especially didn't want to hurt him herself because she couldn't control what was happening. Extremis was turning into something she didn't want to be, and she didn't know when her body would burn up or something would happen, hurting whoever was near her.

''You can't be here,'' she shook her head, dropping the melted lamp to the ground with a thud. ''You...no, Ben you're going to get hurt,''

''I won't,'' he shook his head. ''I promise I can take care of myself, no one's going to hurt me,''

''But _I _could,'' she told him seriously. ''I have no idea what I'm doing, I don't want you to get hurt because of me,''

''I want to help you Bec, there's no stopping me from that. You won't hurt me, I know it, but I'm not letting you do this alone,''

Rebecca looked away from him as she ran her fingers through her hair, her skin settling down as she calmed herself. There were so many things running through her head, she didn't know where to start.

''How did you even find me?''

''That one's on you actually, for teaching me how to trace a phone call,''

Rebecca looked over to him and seeing his playful grin on her face made her just forget about everything she was worrying about in that moment. She loved him for everything he was doing for her and she didn't know how she had found someone like him. Ben walked over to her when he saw her face settle down and soften, and although Rebecca was cautious, he didn't care about the risks when he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a hug, kissing her forehead lovingly.

''I'm here,'' he told her with a gentle voice. ''I'm not leaving you,''

''You're crazy, you know that right?'' she told him, pulling away to look at him. ''You have no idea what you're getting into,''

''I have an idea,'' he shrugged.

Rebecca smiled before remembering something important, her mind only just reminding her.

''Did you...did you find him?'' she asked with a shaky voice. ''I mean, did you find anything?''

''Yeah,'' Ben nodded his head, looking at her more seriously. ''I know where he is,''

* * *

Pepper and Maya had found a hotel out of town, sure they were going to be safe for the night until they worked out what they were going to do. They knew they couldn't stay there for too long, but they needed a place to stay for the night.

''So Tony's daughter's safe?'' Maya asked when they walked into their room.

''Yeah, she's out of town,'' Pepper nodded.

Pepper had been worrying over Rebecca the whole night since she hadn't been in contact, but hearing from her made her feel a whole lot better. She didn't like the idea of her being out there on her own, but she was alive and okay, and that's all that mattered after the evening they had had.

''It's hard to believe a man like Tony is a father,'' Maya commented.

''He's actually a wonderful father,'' Pepper told her defensively. ''Considering he raised her by himself,''

''I'm not doubting his capabilities,'' Maya told her as she sat down on the bed. ''It's just hard to believe, considering I met him with a lot of alcohol in Switzerland all those years ago,''

Pepper and Maya were talking about small things as they both rested on the bed. They were avoiding the subject as hard as they could, but it was bound to come up sooner or later. Maya thought her boss was working for the Mandarin, and it happened to be Aldrich Killian who Pepper used to work with. Maya explained her work to Pepper and her involvement in Extremis, how she developed the idea to help people, but Killian took it to a whole other level.

''What happened?'' Maya repeated Pepper's question, sitting back against the bed's headboard. ''Fun fact; before he built rockets for the Nazis, the idealistic Werner von Braun dreamed of space travel, he star gazed. Do you know what he said when the first V2 hit London? The rocket performed _perfectly_, it just landed on the wrong planet.'' Maya's eyes glisten as she spoke to Pepper, thinking of all that had happened to her idea. ''See we all begin wide-eyed, pure science. And then the ego steps in, the_ obsession_. And you look up, you're a long way from shore.''

Pepper knew she was referring to Killian, but she could see the regret in Maya's eyes for having involved him in the first place. Pepper knew Maya didn't have the intention of hurting anyone or creating what Killian was trying to.

''You can't be too hard on yourself, Maya. I mean you gave your research to a think tank,'' Pepper told her gently.

Maya shook her head. ''Yeah, but Killian built that think tank on military contracts,''

Pepper almost chuckled at the irony.

''That's exactly what we used to do,'' she told her. ''...so don't judge yourself,''

Maya looked up at the woman in front of her.

''Thank you Pepper, I really appreciate that,''

Before they continued their conversation, there was a knocking at the door for the room service they had ordered. Pepper got up and checked the peep hole, opening the door when she saw the staff member with a tray of coffee and food.

''Come on in-''

Pepper gasped when she heard the sound of the waiters neck snapping, her eyes going wide as another man stepped out in front of him with a smirk on his lips, straightening his suit.

''Maya, run!''

* * *

**I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, although there was no Tony (sorry) but I had to include some things and there'll be more of him in the next chapter, I think. Anyway, please review!**


	8. Chapter 8

Pepper tried to run away from the man in front of her, but she only managed to get a few footsteps away before he pulled her back violently, wrapping his hand around her throat with force and shoving her against the wall. Pepper struggled against his grip, but it was no use. Killian had Extremis, which was why he no longer walked with a cane anymore like Pepper had known him to, and therefore he was much stronger.

Maya walked over calmly as if she wasn't bothered by the image of Pepper being held against the wall as Killian gripped her throat. Pepper looked over to her for help, but Maya was only looking at Killian firmly.

''So you want to tell me why you were at Stark's manison last night?'' Killian asked Maya casually.

''I'm trying to fix this thing!'' Maya shouted back. ''I didn't know you and the Master were gonna blow the place up,''

'' Oh, I see. So you were trying to save Stark, when he threatened us?''

Pepper looked back and forth between Killian and Maya. Maya wasn't running from him, she wasn't scared, she was standing there talking to him as if they were partners in this whole thing, and Pepper was sure that they were. They had just finished talking about how Maya regretted trusting Killian, that she shouldn't have done what she did, but now it seemed that meant nothing to her, and she didn't even look at Pepper once.

''I told you Killian, we can use him,'' Maya argued.

Pepper reached her hands out to grab Killian's throat, trying her hardest to hurt him in order to free herself, but it was pointless. Nothing was hurting him, in fact it took a while for him to even notice Pepper was struggling against his hold.

''Pepper, Pepper, Pepper...'' Killian sighed, shaking his head as if to tell her not to bother with trying to escape.

''Look if we wanna launch product next year, I need Stark. He just lacked a decent incentive,'' Maya told him, pointing over to Pepper, still not looking at her as she knew Pepper would be staring at her with a mixture of disappointment and confusion. ''Now he has one,''

* * *

It was late the next afternoon when Rebecca and Ben were driving along the highway headed for Rosehill, Tennessee. She had no idea why her dad was there, but she didn't have time to wonder about those things, she just had to get to him. Ben had brought all of the information he had and they decided to take his car, swapping from the run down vehicle that Rebecca had been driving. It was silent between them both for a long time as they continued driving, but Ben had to break the silence.

''Are you okay?'' he asked cautiously.

''I'm fine,'' she shrugged, looking over to him and noticing his serious expression. ''I know this whole Extremis thing is crazy, but I'm handling it...I'm not gonna break, at least not until all of this is over,''

''I saw the state of that mini-fridge Bec,'' Ben sighed. ''And it's been going on a long time before this happened, I know it has,''

Rebecca gripped the steering wheel tighter, concentrating on now working herself up. She didn't want to talk about this right now, but they had a long journey in front of them still and there was no escaping it. She couldn't leave and take off in her car like she did when things got serious like this, she couldn't run away from the issue that he was confronting her about, but it didn't mean she was ready to talk about it, even if she wanted to open up to him. It wasn't the right time.

''Can we not?'' she asked calmly. ''I just...can't deal with that right now, it's not important,''

''Yes it is,''

''Not compared to what we're dealing with here, believe me, it's not important. Can we move on?''

''I don't want to argue, I just wish you'd _talk _to me about stuff instead of turning to a bottle, or a dozen actually, because it can help,'' he encouraged gently.

Rebecca looked out the window at the road they were driving along, thinking to herself how she would even begin telling him how she felt over the past few months and how she was 'dealing' with what was going on ever since. She didn't want his pity or for him to think badly of her, she had to be strong for everyone, she couldn't look weak.

''I don't know how,'' she admitted. ''I don't know how to open up and...and _talk _about what happened, I just can't do it, I've never been good at that stuff,''

''That's why I'm here,'' Ben smiled. ''You don't have to be good at it or even know what you're doing or talking about, but get _something _out and I promise you things will get better,''

''I'll...I'll try, but I can't do this now,''

''Just promise me you won't do that to yourself anymore,'' he reached over to put his hand on her leg. ''I know alcohol fixes a lot of things, but...just please don't do it anymore, you don't need to,''

Rebecca felt like she was getting a lecture from a school teacher, but she appreciated his commitment to her. He was being as gentle as he could and encouraging her to open up to him so she didn't have to feel the way she did anymore, and she appreciated it more than ever, but she couldn't do it right now. Everything was a mess and the last thing she wanted was to through in an emotional issue as well, it was all too much. When it came to suppressing feelings and emotions, Rebecca was quite talented. She could easily avoid something she didn't want to talk about or have to feel, but she needed an outlet, and with everything going on at the moment, she didn't know if she could hide it anymore, but she was going to try her best. She had to find her dad and help him, protect them all from the Mandarin, and nothing else was important to her until everything else was fixed.

* * *

Tony walked through the town that night unnoticed, dressed in casual clothes supplied by Harley.

''The sandwich was fair, the spring was a little rusty, the rest of the materials, I'll make do,'' Tony shrugged as they walked down the small street. ''By the way, when you said your sister had a watch, I was kinda hoping for something a little more than that,''

Harley laughed as he walked by Tony's side.

''She's six! Anyway, it's limited edition,'' Harley told him. ''When can we talk about New York?''

Tony's body shivered at the mention of the city. He didn't want to go back to those memories right now, he couldn't deal with it. It was hard enough admitting to Pepper that he hadn't been the same since that day in New York, and although this kid was the only person he could trust and was helping him right now, there was no way he was going to be able to talk about New York.

''Maybe never,'' Tony dismissed his words. ''Relax about it,''

''What about The Avengers, can you talk about them?'' Harley asked with wide, excited eyes.

''I don't know, later. Hey kid, give me a little space,'' Tony shook his head.

They were at the end of the dead end street now, looking at the area where an explosion had taken place. This spot was the reason why Tony had Jarvis create a flight plan to Rosehill, Tennessee in the first place. There had been reports of a suicide bombing, terrorism, and Tony knew it was linked to the Mandarin attacks. The heat signatures and evidence all matched up, and even though the authorities didn't connect it with the other explosions, Tony knew it was linked to them.

''What's the official story here? What happened?'' he asked Harley, knowing he would know.

Harley informed him about a guy named Chad Davis who had been in the army and one day had gone crazy, creating a bomb and coming to this exact spot to blow himself up along with other people who were taken out with him. Tony looked around at all the marks on the wall, the clear shadows burnt into the wall of the people who had died as a result.

''You know what this crater reminds me of?'' Harley pointed to the hole in the ground where the explosion had happened.

''No idea. I'm not...I don't care,'' Tony continued looking at the wall, taking a seat beside Harley.

''That giant wormhole, in um...in New York. Does it remind you?''

Tony could feel his heart rate climbing.

''That's manipulative, I don't want to talk about it,''

''Are they coming back? The aliens?''

''Maybe. Can you stop? Remember when I told you, that I have an anxiety issue?'' Tony breathed deep.

Harley kept asking him questions continually about New York and then his anxiety issue, asking if he was on medication or if he had PTSD. Tony's ears were ringing as the boy kept asking him questions, and his heart felt like it was beating out of his chest.

''Remember when I said to stop doing that? I swear to God, you're going to freak me out!'' Tony told him in strangled breath. ''Oh man, you did it, didn't you? Happy now?''

Tony stood up quickly and began walking off, turning his quick pace into a run as he hurried away from the boy and the hole that now reminded him of the wormhole. He couldn't deal with the issue right now, he didn't have the strength and he soon collapsed to his knees by the side of the road, breathing deeply as Harley chased behind him. He grabbed a handful of snow and shoved it to his face, trying to cool himself down and shock himself out of the anxiety attack he felt coming on.

''What the hell was that?'' Harley asked, wondering why Tony had run off.

Tony took the snow in his hands and throw it at the boy beside him, settling back down onto the ground to sit and catch his breath.

''Your fault, you spazzed me out,'' he told Harley with deep breaths. ''Okay, back to business. Where were we? The guy who died...relatives? Mom? Mrs. Davis, where is she?''

''Where she always is,'' Harley told him, looking over to the bar.

''See, now you're being helpful,''

* * *

Rebecca stopped the car as they drove into the small town of Rosehill, wondering if Ben's information was accurate considering where they were. She checked multiple times, and this was definitely where he was. Jarvis had mapped out a flight plan here, and Ben had picked up the last time the suit was online and it was definite that the last location it was in was in this small town.

''Hey, we're here,'' Rebecca pushed Ben's shoulder gently as he slept against the window of the car.

''Oh...'' he woke up, rubbing his eyes. ''I thought we were gonna stop somewhere for a rest,''

''I didn't need one,'' she shrugged. ''Now we just have to find him,''

They looked around the streets in the town, realizing there really wasn't many places they had to search. It was a small town, which meant there was a bigger risk of being found if someone looking for either Tony or Rebecca were here as well. Rebecca had been careful not to be followed and kept their trail clear, but she couldn't be certain anymore, she didn't know who was involved in anything going on and she still had no idea who the Mandarin was.

Rebecca looked over to the small house they had stopped outside of. This was the location that the system had picked up the most, which meant that somewhere inside was the Iron Man suit, and hopefully her father. She reached around to the back seat and grabbed a black hooded sweater, pulling it over her top and lifting the hood over her head. She didn't want to be noticed or recognized, and she didn't want anyone to know she was there.

''Stay here,'' she warned him.

''Whoa, no way,'' he shook his head, undoing his seat belt. ''I'm not sitting here like a little kid while you go in there yourself,''

Rebecca sighed. ''If someone's here that's not very nice, I need you to be ready to drive, okay?''

''You want me to be your getaway driver?'' he asked, raising his eyebrow.

''If you're up to it,''

''Okay well, just be safe, alright?''

''Always am,'' she nodded. ''I won't be long,''

Rebecca got out of the car and walked up the driveway, her hands in her pocket casually. The lights were off inside the house and it seemed like no one was even home, which made her wonder whether that was a good thing or a bad thing. She continued around to the back of the yard, seeing a small wooden shed which did have a light on. If her dad was here, this looked like the right place where he would most likely go. Not the house, the shed. It was probably an abandoned place, she just hoped he would be okay.

She walked up to the door of the shed, noticing the padlock on the door. This was probably the only time she was thankful for the virus she had been infected with as she put her hand to the metal and gripped it tight, watching it glow orange under her touch and melt away. Just as she was about to open the door, she felt something hit the back of her head and when she turned around, there was a round potato sitting on the ground. Looking up, Rebecca was met with a young boy around the age of 10 or 11, reloading a potato gun and pointing it at her.

''Freeze!'' he shouted.

Rebecca wasn't expecting a kid to show up and try and stop her, but she thought he would be helpful. If this was where the suit was, there was a definite possibility this boy knew where her dad was. Tony didn't trust many people, but she knew that he would rather confide in some kid instead of an adult he knew would turn him in.

Rebecca lifted her hands in front of her, surrendering.

''You got me,''


	9. Chapter 9

Harley looked at the girl with angry eyes, knowing she was trying to get into the shed for a reason. She knew about the Iron Man suit and Harley knew that people were looking for Tony which is why he had to hide out here. However, what had shocked him the most was watching what she did with her hand when she pressed to to the sturdy padlock on the door. It had just melted away, and Harley was doing his best to cover up the fact he was actually afraid of her. He had come back to the house quickly to grab a few things while Tony was at the bar trying to find Mrs Davies, and he was caught off guard.

''Who are you?'' he asked, lifting the gun up defensively.

''Rebecca,'' she answered.

''What are you doing?'' he asked. ''You're not allowed in there,''

''I can see that,'' she nodded, lowering her hands slightly. ''I'm uh, looking for someone,''

Harley looked at her hands that were now normal, just like his, but he knew that what he had seen was real.

''Are you...are you one of those...those things from New York?'' he asked with a shaky voice.

Rebecca's heart beat faster at just the mention of that day and the creatures that she fought against. She understood his confusion considering how shocked he looked, and she didn't let the comment get to her, she couldn't keep letting it win.

''No,''

''But I saw what you did,'' he walked closer.

''I'm not...one of those, trust me,''

''Why should I trust you?''

''Because I'm not a bad guy,'' she told him, completely lowering her hands. ''I'm not gonna hurt you or anyone, I'm just looking for my dad,''

Harley put his gun down at his side and looked at the girl, noticing she looked familiar, but he was confused.

''Your dad?'' he looked over to her. ''What's his name?''

Rebecca knew that she would have to decide right then if she could trust the young boy. She knew that he was aware of more than he was appearing to, but she couldn't be sure. Nothing was certain anymore and she honestly didn't know who was involved with the Mandarin, but she took a chance.

''Tony Stark,'' she told him with a sad expression.

Harley's eyes widened in surprise. Tony hadn't mentioned he had a daughter, and Harley had never taken an interest to Tony Stark in the media or the news, he was more a fan of Iron Man instead.

''You're...Tony's your dad?'' he asked.

Rebecca nodded. ''And if I don't find him, some other really bad people will,''

''How do I know you're not lying? How do I know _you're_ notone of the bad people?'' he asked, gripping his potato gun.

''Well, no offence kid but if I was, you'd probably be dead by now,'' she told him honestly, watching as the boy's face stayed focused on hers. ''The bad guys aren't really that smart, you can trust me,''

* * *

Pepper felt as though she had been asleep for days. Killian and Maya had made sure she was heavily sedated when they took her from the hotel they were staying at, taking her to one of their more hidden locations until their plan had advanced. Finding out Maya was involved was a huge shock for Pepper, but she didn't even have time to react before they both took her.

She opened her eyes to a small room, the light only allowing her to see the glass of water on the bench in front of her and the door off to the side. Her first instinct was to run, but her body just couldn't do it. Whatever they had given her, it had exhausted her beyond words.

''You should drink something,'' a voice came from over in the corner, and Pepper looked over to see Maya looking back at her. ''You're dehydrated,''

Pepper looked at the glass of water and then back at Maya, obviously thinking that there was something else to it.

''It's clean water, there's nothing in it, trust me,''

''That means nothing to me anymore,'' Pepper told her, refusing to take a sip of the water, despite being tempted.

''I'm sorry Pepper, I really am,'' Maya stood up, walking over and folding her arms. ''But you have no idea what I've gone through to get this far with my project, I have to resort to the extremes,''

''I know what it's like to resort to the extremes Maya, this is beyond that,'' Pepper shook her head. ''I was willing to help you...''

''And you have,'' Maya nodded. ''You've helped me realize things Pepper, but my passion for this is still just as strong, I can't ignore it,''

Pepper looked away from Maya and crossed her legs on the bed she was laying on. The room looked like one in a cheap motel, but she knew they wouldn't be so stupid to take her somewhere like that. Wherever she was, there was no one here who was going to help her.

''What do you want from me?'' Pepper asked, looking over to Maya again. ''I don't know anything about this stuff,''

''You don't have to, with you just being here, we've got leverage,''

Pepper's eyes widened when she realized what Maya was doing. Tony was involved in all of this, and they were going to get to him through her. She hated being the bait for anything involving Tony, but she especially hated that she had gotten herself into all of this.

''You're working with the Mandarin,'' Pepper glared. ''You and Killian, you're both working for him,''

Maya looked away from Pepper sadly, feeling guilty but still sticking with her plan.

''Something like that,''

Outside of the small room Pepper was being held in, Aldrich Killian was sitting behind his desk with a calm and composed expression on his face as he took a phone call. His plan was in motion, now it was time to pick up pieces and make sure everything else was running smoothly. Injecting Rebecca with Extremis was not done without purpose, however her escaping wasn't the way he wanted things to go.

Rebecca could have taken Extremis to new levels, she had the resources and she was in charge of Research and Development, giving her the virus was going to prove to her just how extraordinary it was and she would open up all the doors in AIM's way. Even though they had Pepper now and the plan was back in motion, Rebecca was still out there with Extremis, and since he heard she wasn't dead the next day, he needed to find her.

''You followed the boyfriend,'' Killian nodded as he spoke on the phone. ''They're looking for Stark, this is great. Make sure you get that file, but listen to me Savin, find that girl, understand me? Find her before she gets to Stark. Good. Call me if there are any problems,''

* * *

Tony had been inside the small bar in the town for a while now, waiting for Mrs. Davis. Harley had described her to him in the most basic form, but she had just lost her son not long ago in what was being said to be a terrorist attack, a suicide bomb, and Tony knew he would notice who she was.

It wasn't long before a middle-aged woman walked in with an unimpressed look on her face and a government file in her hand, taking a seat at a table not far from Tony. He wondered why she had the file with her, but that wasn't important right now. He knew that her son Chad wasn't a terrorist and hadn't set off a bomb, he could see the links between all the Mandarin attacks and the one with Chad Davis. The heat signatures were all the same, no one else had picked it up.

''Mrs. Davis,'' Tony walked up to the woman. ''Mind if I join you?''

Mrs. Davis shrugged. ''Free country,''

''It sure is,'' Tony sat down next to her.

Mrs. Davis turned slightly in her chair and looked at Tony with interest.

''Alright, where'd you like to start?''

''I just want to say I'm sorry about your loss. I want to know what you think happened,''

''Look, I brought your damn file. Take it, go,'' Mrs. Davis threw the file down on the table in front of Tony. ''Whatever was in here, he wanted no part in it,''

Tony looked at the file on the desk in front of him, noticing it was a complete record of her son Chad Davis and everything he had ever done with the government. Tony wondered why she was talking to him like this and why she had handed him the file.

''Clearly you're waiting for someone else. Supposed to meet somebody here, yeah?'

Before Tony could explain anything to her, they were interrupted by a woman slamming a cell phone onto the table. They both looked up, startled, to see a woman that Tony had momentarily bumped into outside standing by the side with an angry expression on her face. She put on a polite smile as she looked over to Mrs. Davis.

''Actually, I am,''

The next thing Tony realized, his arm was twisted behind his back and his face was slammed into the table violently. The woman had a hold of him in a tight grip that he couldn't manage to break and everyone in the small bar gasped as they watched on.

''Hey, hey, hey! What's all this about? What the hell's going on here?'' the Sheriff walked over, looking at the woman seriously.

''It's called an arrest,'' the woman told him, slipping handcuffs over Tony's wrists and closing them before walking closer to the man. ''Sheriff, is it?''

''Yes ma'am, and you are?''

''Homeland Security,'' she flashed her badge at him. ''We good here?''

''No, we're not good,'' the Sheriff shook his head. ''I need a little more information than that,''

''Well, I think it's a little above your pay grade, Sheriff,''

''Yeah, well, why don't you get on the horn to Nashville and uh...upgrade me?''

In the middle of their argument, Tony looked over to Mrs. Davis who was watching on worriedly, gesturing for her to hide the file. This woman was doing all of this, risking everything to get a hold of that file, he couldn't let her or anyone else get their hands on it.

''Alright, you know what? I was hoping to do this the smart way, but uh...the fun way's always good,''

Tony looked at the woman walking closer to the Sheriff, narrowing his eyes on her hands as if he wasn't seeing right. The hand holding the badge was glowing red, her hand heating up the metal in seconds. Her skin was bright red, glowing with heat. As the Sheriff turned around for a moment, the woman walked closer and took the badge in her hand and slammed it into the side of his face. The screams throughout the room echoed as everybody ran out as the woman took the Sheriff's gun and shot him in the chest.

Tony saw his chance and, after looking over to Mrs. Davis as she hid, he ran out of the bar and called out to the woman, hoping to get her outside and away from the people inside. If she was working for the Mandarin, she wasn't going to let him go.

''Hey hot wings, you wanna party? You and me, let's go,'' he called out as she looked over to him.

Rebecca and Ben followed Harley into the town through the alleyways, looking around each corner and making sure no one was following them. After finally convincing the young boy that she was actually Tony's daughter and that he was in danger, Harley agreed to show them where he was. He knew bits and pieces about what was going on, but he knew that there were bad guys after Tony and he wanted to help.

They reached the main street and heard shattering glass and gunshots, and Ben immediately pulled Harley back behind him and Rebecca. He was just a kid trying to help them, neither of them wanted him to get hurt because of what was going on. They hurried

''Hey, who's that guy?'' Harley pointed to a man getting out of his car.

Rebecca following Harley's gaze over to the other side of the street. Her eyes widened as she found who Harley was talking about. Eric Savin was climbing out of his car with a smirk on his face, his hand reaching to his back pocket and pulling out a gun. For a moment, Rebecca lost all of her thoughts as she looked at the man she remembered from the night she crashed her car. He was there when she woke up with Extremis, she couldn't forget his face, and she knew exactly why he was here. He was looking for her, and he wasn't going to let her go.

''Bec, there he is,'' Ben pointed.

Rebecca looked over to see her dad running across the street with his hands cuffed behind his back, looking back as if he was running from someone. She held back from screaming out to him, knowing this was a terrible time to reconcile, and instead she focused on how she was going to fix this mess. Before she could think any further, Harley had pushed past and began running around the corner, gathering snow in his hands.

''Harley!'' she called out loud enough for him to here. ''Don't!''

Harley kept running and Rebecca turned back to Ben, grabbing his shoulders.

''I need you...to not follow me,'' she told him desperately. ''I know it's crazy of me to say that to you but I am begging you, please, you can't be involved,''

Rebecca didn't give him a chance to reply, knowing he would most likely ignore her request anyway, and she ran off behind Harley now that the man had walked away. She had to help her dad from whoever he was running from, she wasn't going to stand back and watch this happen all over again. The panic, the adrenaline, the worry, it all reminded her of a day she'd rather forget, but she had to put it all behind her right now, because she was either getting out of this with her dad, or not at all.

* * *

**This isn't my favorite chapter...I feel like it was a little boring and slow, but it gets better next chapter! Anyway, I hope you guys are still interested in reading on since I think it's going to become a lot more interesting and exciting, but unfortunately there is a bit of movie dialogue I have to include to make my story fit, but nevertheless I hope you enjoy. Also, if you have any questions about my story, just ask me in a PM or review. There was some confusion with a part of my story line and a few comments about something not being included however it was being included in the following chapter (this one) so please just keep in mind that if something seems out of place, forgotten about or thrown aside, it's most likely not and is included in future chapters which you have to wait to read because I can't fit everything in one chapter, but I'm happy to discuss it with people or answer any Q's. Please review and thanks for reading!**


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